


Bravery

by rarmaster



Series: More than a Shadow [3]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: ALSO ABUSE MENTION TW, Gen, there is violence in general, this is a battle and while i wouldn't call it "graphic" it IS a battle so be warned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-27
Updated: 2015-07-27
Packaged: 2018-04-11 13:31:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,705
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4437254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rarmaster/pseuds/rarmaster
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sequel to "More than a Shadow" and "Someone I love". Larxene finally follows up on her promise. </p>
<p>(written for Namine Week on tumblr!)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bravery

"You sure you don't want to spar with me, Namine?" Xion called.

"Positive," Namine replied. She sketched idly as she watched Xion run through her forms. She did not have any sort of telepathic link with Xion like she had with Kairi, but it was clear that Xion was itching to fight something. Traverse Town was a nice place out of the way where no one would give you odd looks, ever, but since the Keyhole had been sealed, there were no more Heartless. She kicked her heels against the wall she was sitting on, then sighed.

"Are you sure you don't want to go out and actually find Heartless to kill?" she asked. The only reason Xion  _wasn't_ out fighting Heartless right now was because she was the only one available to, well… to  _babysit_ Namine wouldn't be a kind way to put it, but even Namine wasn't sure what else to say. It wasn't that she  _couldn't_ fight Heartless, either, it just wasn't her idea of a fun pastime.

"Nah, I'm fine!" Xion laughed. "A practice dummy would be nice."

"We could go to Yen Sid's—"

"And get yelled at when I don't do everything perfectly? No way! Too many people hang around there, anyway."

"Radiant Garden has Heartless…"

"It's fine, Namine!" Xion said. She cracked her neck, then banished her Keyblade and came over to lean against the wall next to Namine. "Don't you think this is getting ridiculous, though?" She craned her head back so she could look at Namine. "When do you think we can let you go around by yourself again, huh?"

Namine just shrugged. She grimaced at her sketchbook, though—she had been sketching Xion in fighting poses, but now that Xion had paused her practice… "When Larxene's gone," she answered, thumbing the pages of her book.

Xion raised her eyebrows. "You don't mind all this?"

"I'd rather this than her finding me alone," Namine said. That was certain. "I could hold my own now better than I could then, sure, but…" But Larxene was a different story. But fighting Heartless was different than standing up to the woman who still haunted her nightmares.

"Right, right," Xion agreed, with a sigh. She folded her hands behind her head. "What are we supposed to do with her if she shows up, again?"

"I dunno, Sora said we should probably just treat her like one of the Norts."

"Kill her?"

There was a note of surprise in Xion's voice. Namine didn't look at her, pretended like the fact she'd just casually mentioned killing someone wasn't such a big deal.

"Mm," she muttered, nodding. "Now, can we stop—"

"Oh, yeah! Sorry." Xion pushed off from the wall, flashing Namine a lopsided smirk. "You  _sure_ you don't want to spar with me?" she asked, summoning her Keyblade to her.

" _Positive!_ " Namine repeated. Fighting was never her idea of a good time, and Xion was ruthless besides. Even if she stood a chance against Xion, she wouldn't want to spar  _here,_ when they were nowhere near someone who could heal.

Xion put her hands up in an  _if-you-say-so_ gesture, and returned to practicing her forms. Namine let out a long breath, and started sketching again, watching Xion carefully to get the shapes all right. Maybe she should tell Xion what she was up to. Xion'd probably  _love_ to pose for a picture…

Just as she started to suggest the idea to Xion, there was a sudden presence behind her, and then someone was yanking her up by the arm and clamping a hand over her mouth. Her sketchbook fell to the ground below. Namine went very rigid, recognizing the touch well enough.

"Don't scream, and don't struggle," Larxene whispered in her ear. "And we won't have a problem."

Namine was lucky that Xion noticed almost immediately, and flash-stepped over to her rescue. She wasn't sure  _what_ Xion did, but she knew that a second later she was on the ground and out of Larxene's grasp.

There was a flash of a dark corridor, then Larxene was standing on the opposite side of the Second District, on the same level that Namine had fallen to. Namine staggered to her feet. Xion jumped down to stand between her and Larxene. It was a good thing that Traverse Town had very few residents. No one was here to watch, or to get hurt.

"Aw, Kairi's not here, is she?" Larxene asked. If she was annoyed her previous attempt at… whatever that had been—Namine didn't want to think about it—had failed, she wasn't showing it. There was the typical amused glint in her eyes, and her mouth was only drawn in mock-disappointment. "Shame, I had the perfect opening line all planned and everything, but it only would've worked if Kairi had been here…"

"Well, too bad, you get me instead!" Xion called.

"Riiight," Larxene said, dragging the word out. She seemed to be considering the situation carefully, probably noting down every detail of how they stood, of how Xion appeared to be protecting Namine, likely racking her mind for bait material. "And uh,  _you_  are?"

"Xion."

"Ohh! Are you that tagalong fourteenth member of Organization 13?"

Xion growled a little. "Yeah, I was. And?"

Larxene shrugged, trying to make herself appear casual. Namine knew better, but she doubted Xion did. "I just… didn't know you were a girl, is all."

Xion shouted out in anger. Had Namine not quickly grabbed her by the shoulders, she would've launched herself at Larxene then and there. Namine tried not to think about the way Larxene's eyes widened, or the way her lips twitched into a smile.

"Yeah, well, I had no idea you were such a  _bitch!_ " Xion yelled back. Namine cringed a little. Larxene just laughed.

"What about you, Namine?" she called. Her tone was pleasant enough, if, she hadn't been Larxene, anyway. "How have you been?"

"A lot better," Namine replied. She was proud to say there was no catch in her voice, though there was a slight clench in her chest. Xion sent a worried half-glance over her shoulder at her, but not enough of one that she was made to take her eyes off of Larxene.

Larxene rolled her eyes. "Grew a backbone as well as a conscience, did you?" She did not sound very pleasant anymore.

"Don't let her bait you," Xion hissed.

Namine raised her eyebrows. "You're one to talk!"

"What about Sora, hmm?" Larxene called. "I know you were just  _dying_ to meet him all that time ago—dying to do  _more_ than meet him, if I remember correctly…"

"OH, ENOUGH TALK!" Xion yelled, then she rushed forward, Keyblade bared. Larxene jumped out of the way and tossed her knives at Xion like it was second nature.

"I have!" Namine answered, raising her voice to be heard over Xion's laughs—she'd always thrived in battle—and Larxene's not-so-quiet cackles when she landed a hit. "I  _have_  seen Sora lately, and he's doing just fine!" Namine prepared an all-inclusive shield spell for herself, one that Aerith had taught her. It was largely just to protect herself from the lightning Larxene would inevitably throw, but it had the added bonus of no physical force being able to come within five inches of her. "We're good friends," she continued, "and I didn't have to do anything to his memory to get it that way."

Larxene backed out of the way of Xion's Keyblade again, knocking Xion to the ground with a well-placed kick to the stomach. She put a hand on her hip, considering Namine. " _Hmm,_ " she said, and that was all she said, in a semi-disapproving tone that ruffled Namine more than any taunt could have. She swallowed her anger, as well as a thread of fear. Larxene did  _not_ know her.

"We all  _love_ Namine," Xion said as she got back on her feet. "She's great, and kind, and funny, even if she is a little quiet sometimes!" She jumped back and raised her Keyblade to unleash Ragnarok.

Namine smiled a little to herself, appreciating Xion defending her, even if not with the most eloquent of words. She ran through the list of spells she knew, trying to think of how she could help in this fight. Unfortunately, Namine knew Larxene to be pretty resilient to magic. And, shield or no, she didn't exactly want to engage Larxene in  _battle._

Xion's Ragnarok hit Larxene full on, but Larxene was quick to recover, immediately directing her attention at Namine.

"Ah, I knew you'd sink this far again! Just Sora wasn't enough for you, was he?"

Namine knew it was a taunt, between the half-grin Larxene was trying to hide and the fact her voice was filled only with mock anger—Larxene's real anger sounded nothing like that—but it still made her blood boil. She was shouting before she'd thought about it.

"I DIDN'T MANPULATE ANYONE'S MEMORIES!" she protested.

Larxene just smiled at her. "Of course you didn't," she said, in the tone of someone who was agreeing with you despite knowing what you were saying wasn't true. Namine bit her lip hard, trembling where she stood.

"She  _didn't!_ " Xion shouted.

"Please, like you'd know if she did."

Namine swallowed the bile in her throat, watching as Xion darted back into the fight again. It wasn't easy to say who was winning, if anyone was at this point, but Larxene kept sending knowing looks at Namine every moment she had the chance. Namine knew she hadn't done anything, of course. That didn't stop Larxene's looks from making her skin crawl.

"Not going to say anything, Namine?" Larxene called, easily dodging Xion's blade and bursts of magic. "Shouldn't you do Xion here the favor of breaking her heart, like you—"

Namine turned away and tuned out Larxene's voice as well as she could. When the flow of battle brought Xion closer to her again, she grabbed Xion by the arm and pulled her to a stop.

"Hang on, Xion, listen!" she said, loudly—those words had been meant for Larxene to hear, too.

"Does she  _really_ think you did something to my memories!?" Xion demanded.

Namine tossed up a sound-proofing spell before speaking. Rinoa had taught her that one. It made it so no one outside of a five foot radius of you could hear what was being said. Useful to discuss battle plans while on the battlefield, though you had to get creative with it.

"No, she's just trying to get under my skin," Namine replied. "And please trust me when I say I haven't done any—"

Xion sent her a look that clearly suggested she was offended that Namine was suggesting that. "Please, Namine, like I'd really think you had! I might not know much about Larxene, but c'mon, I know enough not to trust her."

"Right. Sorry."

"Come on, Namine," Larxene called. "No need to be so quiet about it. If you're telling her the truth, I'd  _love_ to hear it!"

Xion scowled, grip tightening on her Keyblade.

"Just… don't… pay attention to it," Namine said. It was a bit hard to say the words, and the thought of sitting here and listening to Larxene insist she'd done something when she hadn't made her sick. But, if she'd learned anything in Castle Oblivion… "If we don't react, she'll get bored and move on to something else. Probably."

"Alright…" Xion sighed, shrugging and shaking her head. "Can I?" She nodded towards Larxene again. Namine nodded quickly. Larxene would only wait so long.

"Just, when you have a moment—"

"Uh-huh!"

Xion dove at Larxene again, a burst of Firaga leaving her hand before she swung with her Keyblade. Namine watched with a knot in her stomach, wondering how long it would be before Larxene decided to come for her directly.

"Tell me you have a plan for what to do with her," Xion said, as she jumped back to join Namine.

"No. Sorry." Namine swallowed. "Get help…?"

Xion shook her head adamantly. "No way! I've got this."

"You know, I don't appreciate being  _ignored!_ " Larxene shouted, throwing her knives at them. Namine cringed, though her shield protected her from the ones aimed at her. Xion blocked the rest with her Keyblade.

"Don't know why I didn't do this sooner," she grumbled, then raised her Keyblade at Larxene and shouted: "STOP!" Larxene froze where she stood, mouth open in what was probably the start of a foul comment.

"Good thinking," Namine said, glad the sound-proofing spell hadn't prevented Xion's magic. Not that it should've to begin with, but, it was still something to be thankful for. She would've taken it down, except she couldn't remember whether or not someone who was Stopped could still hear, and better safe than sorry. "Alright, we won't get help," she assured Xion. "What do we do then?"

"You're the one who knows who we're dealing with," Xion replied.

Namine groaned, though she'd expected that. It was just, she hadn't thought much about it, figuring Kairi would when it came up, or that Sora or Riku would come up with something more concrete than to just "treat her like one of the Norts". Actually  _killing_ Larxene wasn't something easy to think about—never mind the fact someone else would be doing all the work. The thought still made Namine shiver.

Xion watched her expectantly, though, waiting for her answer. Namine really was going to have to come up with the plan.

She swallowed hard.

"We… we need to…" she began, though she was not sure where to go with it. "She'll probably leave once she thinks she's losing, so…" Namine's eyes slowly widened. "We need to make her think she isn't losing," she whispered.

Xion nodded. "How?"

"Me."

Xion's confidence immediately turned to horror. Namine shifted uncomfortably, sending another glance at Larxene. How long did they have until that Stop spell wore off?

"Namine,  _no!_ You can't—"

"It's fine."

Her stomach was roiling. It did not feel fine.

"You can't use yourself as bait!"

Namine swallowed hard. She was not really looking forward to this, but she could see no other way. Even getting help wouldn't guarantee anything. She held out her hand.

"Give me that bangle of yours."

"Which one?—ohh!" Xion quickly reached to take one of her various bangles off her arm—this one protected completely against Fire magic, and more importantly, against Thunder magic. The only reason why Namine didn't have one of her own was that they were hard to come by, and though she'd checked the stores almost every day since Kairi'd encountered Larxene, they were all out of stock right now. "Won't she notice?" Xion asked.

Namine shook her head as she snapped the bangle on her own arm, much higher than Xion wore it, so it wouldn't slide. "I've had a lot of practice. She'll never know."

Xion's eyes narrowed with concern. "She doesn't need lightning to hurt you."

"I can take a few hits if it means taking her down," Namine said. "You'll have to be quick, though. Before she runs off regardless, or worse, decides to take me with her."

Xion grinned. "Oh, you can count on it."

Namine nodded, grinding her teeth as she waited for the Stop to wear off, waited to make her move.

Larxene staggered a little when the spell was released, as anyone would if they were mid-step when they'd been Stopped. She was glaring up a storm. "Well, wasn't that  _rude!_ "

Before Larxene could say or do anything more, and before Namine could second guess herself, she ran up to Larxene, dropping her shield spell as she went. She had no weapon, just a burst of Blizzard between her hands.

Of course, this was Larxene, so she was quick to counter. The Blizzard evaporated like it was nothing. An elbow met Namine's gut, her feet were knocked out from under her. She could feel the tingling of a lightning bolt that could do no more than tickle while wearing Xion's bangle, and cried out—not all of it faked. Her stomach hurt, and so did the side she'd fallen on.

"A conscience, a backbone,  _and_ a sense of daring!" Larxene was bending down, picking her up by the front of her shirt, lifting her off the ground a few inches. "What's become of you, Namine?"

Namine squeezed her eyes shut and bit her lip.  _C'mon, Xion!_ she thought desperately. She did not have to make herself whimper, and she was more than grateful to hear Xion's shout and feel Larxene drop her to the ground. She pushed herself up slowly, considering Xion and Larxene battling in front of her. She'd have to draw Larxene's back to her in a moment… There—!

Namine threw herself forward, successfully intercepting a bolt of lightning before it hit Xion. Xion cried her name. Larxene laughed gleefully.

"Why do you always go through so much trouble to protect the people you've already hurt?" Larxene asked. "As if I'm going to do more damage than you've already done!"

"I didn't… rewrite… Xion's memories," Namine hissed between gasps of air. The lightning had not hurt her, but the force of landing on the ground had definitely knocked the air out of her lungs. Her arm felt raw where it'd scraped against the ground. If she did not have to pretend she felt the lightning supposedly coursing through her body, she would have tossed up a cure for herself.

"Then why  _else_  is she protecting you?" Larxene asked. She stepped forward, and Namine curled in on herself. Getting to her feet would've been the best idea now, but her legs felt frozen. "Don't tell me it's because she actually loves you! You and I both know that no one could  _possibly—_ "

"OH SHUT UP!" Xion screamed. She ran at Larxene again.

Larxene groaned. "I am  _so_ tired of dealing with you," she grumbled. She sidestepped and tripped Xion, making Xion yelp with surprise and land flat on her face. Larxene smiled to herself, then picked Xion up by the scruff of her neck. "Stay out of my way," she warned, pumping Xion full of lightning before tossing her to the other side of the area.

" _XION!_ " Namine yelled.

"She can't help you now," Larxene said, snorting with annoyance. "Now get up. I didn't come all this way for nothing."

Namine shook Larxene's grip off her arm and scrambled backwards. "N- _no!_ " she said, tossing up the shield spell again.  _C'mon Xion! You've taken worse hits than that!_ Her legs were like jelly, but she made herself stand. "I don't know what you want with me, b-b-but I won't do it! I won't, Larxene! Y-you don't control me!"

Larxene glared. Worst of all, when she spoke, there was still a touch of amusement in her tone. "Well, maybe not now, but it doesn't seem like it'll be hard to teach you how to listen again."

Namine shuddered. Her heart raced in her throat. Even with a shield spell and a bracelet to protect her from every bolt of lightning, she had never felt more vulnerable.

But she thought of Xion's confidence and certainty. Kairi's determination and bravery. How patient Aerith had been when she asked to learn every defensive spell Aerith knew. Sora's bear hugs. The way Ventus smiled at her like an old friend though they hadn't known each other for long. How Aqua went after anyone who cast Thunder magic within twenty feet of her. She thought about how Xion would help her back up after this was all over. She thought about the warmth that filled her when on the hundredth time Kairi said the words  _I love you,_ she believed it.

"No!" she said, and her voice did not shake this time. "I won't let you use me again!"

Light exploded from her, and for a moment, she was scared—she'd never channeled light before, and certainly never on this level—but then she felt a nudge in the back of her mind that felt like Kairi. She let it guide her, and moved her hands to direct the blast of light in a more controlled manner. Larxene shrieked. The light faded.

Namine staggered, but only a step. She should've felt drained, but in reality she'd never felt more alive, more certain of herself.

Larxene staggered as well, eyes wide in a panic. Before she could recover, though, a surge of energy went through the area. One that told Namine Xion'd activated her limit. She heard Xion's fierce cry a second later, and then Xion was descending on Larxene, Keyblade indistinguishable from a blade of pure light in her hands. She attacked with a rapid combo, then a decisive slice.

Larxene faded in wisps of darkness before she had the chance to scream.

Namine stood there, stunned, eyes meeting with Xion's.

Then Xion banished her Keyblade and grinned widely. "That was  _fantastic!_ " she said, bounding over and offering a hand out to Namine. "I didn't know you could do that!"

Namine took Xion's hand, though she did not exactly need it to support herself. "Neither did I," she said, just as amazed as Xion.

"You alright?" Xion asked.

Namine nodded. "Yeah," she said. Her heart was still racing, but she got the feeling that was more adrenaline than anything else.

Xion eyed her, looking as if she did not believe it. Still, she kept smiling, and tossed up a Cure for Namine. "Well, why don't we get your sketchbook and what we can of your pencils, then go see if Kairi's still busy?" she said. "I'm sure she'd love to hear the news."

Namine laughed a little, knowing this was Xion's not-so-subtle way of telling Namine that she should talk to Kairi because Xion didn't think she was  _really_ okay. Namine appreciated Xion's sentiment, though, and admitted to herself that it would be nice to see Kairi right now. She nodded.

**xxx**

"You did it!" Kairi laughed, pulling her into a tight hug. "I'm so proud of you!"

Namine let out a long sigh of relief, relaxing into Kairi's embrace. Maybe Xion'd been right about her needing to talk to Kairi.

"She's gone…" Namine whispered, happily. "She's gone."


End file.
